


Hunting By Moonlight

by WildWeeb



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Supernatural AU - Freeform, Vampires, Werewolves, and then suddenly I changed my mind, certain types of faeries, fun times, like it was gonna be a oneshot, more relationships and characters might be added as the story progresses, okay honestly I don't know exactly where I'm going with this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-07-23 22:11:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7481838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildWeeb/pseuds/WildWeeb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yang Xiao Long is not, perhaps, your average hunter. For one thing, her prey is more dangerous—and elusive—than game. For another, she doesn't hunt for a living, but for the satisfaction of revenge.</p>
<p>Blake, however, might be able to change her mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Hunt Begins

Night was falling upon the town. Shops that hadn't already closed were starting to as long shadows blanketed the roads, and a few stars glimmered in the darkening sky. A nearly full moon presided overhead, as crickets chirped and parents called children inside.

One woman, however, was preparing to go out.

"Should you really be going out tonight, Yang?" Ruby whined, watching her sister fasten the buttons of her brown leather jacket. "The moon..."

"I'll be fine, Rubes," Yang assured her with a chuckle, tossing her hair over her shoulder and rubbing her younger sister's head affectionately. "It's not the full moon just yet."

"Still," Ruby pouted, dark red bangs falling into her face. She blew them out of her eyes, still looking at Yang. "It's dangerous. Why don't you stay in tonight?"

Yang shook her head, strapping a stake to her thigh. "Can't, Rubes. You know that."

She still looked unhappy, but Ruby offered no further protests. Instead, she said, "Good luck, then. Stay safe." A pause, and then she added, "I love you."

Yang grinned, catching the smaller girl in a hug. "You know I love you too, kiddo. I'll be back by sunrise, okay?"

Ruby hummed something that must've been affirmative, and stepped back from Yang. Yang herself turned and headed out the door, the sky dark enough to provide cover from any scrutinizing eyes.

As she had almost every night for the past two years, she headed for the wood just outside town, going along the edge of the path. Their home was right by the edge anyway, making the walk a short one. By now she wasn't as scared as the unknowns housed in the trees. Those were what she was here for, after all.

Not twenty minutes into the trees, and she could barely see a meter ahead. It wasn't a problem, of course—she did have other senses—but that didn't stop her feeling vulnerable. She felt a dull, almost unnoticeable throbbing in her temple, and allowed herself to worry that maybe Ruby was right and the moon was too strong for her to be out tonight. But then she pushed the thought aside; she'd hunted on full moons before, and it usually never caused too much trouble. Of course, having rarely found her quarry, and even then never needing to take drastic measures, it was reasonable to think that she could still have trouble yet. That thought, however, she dismissed with any other doubts.

Now was not the time for doubts. It was time for hunting.

In all the time she'd spent doing what she did, Yang had only ever encountered five of the creatures she was after. Given that Patch was a fairly small island, it shouldn't have come as a surprise that her prey didn't roam in abundance, but her father couldn't afford a ship to the mainland. Either way, Yang was certain there was a nest of them here somewhere, and every night she felt closer to finding it.

Every so often a light breeze rustled the thinner branches around her, each time drawing her attention. While she wasn't startled by the sudden noises any more, they were still disconcerting. She'd been caught off guard before, and it had almost cost her her life.

Yang paused, straining her ears. She heard something, something that wasn't the wind. She breathed softly in through her nose, and definitely picked up a trace of the salty tang she was looking for. Another few sniffs told her the smell was coming from just ahead, slightly to her right, so it was likely her prey didn't know she was there.

A hand rested on the stake at her thigh. She could very well be getting her sixth kill tonight.

Carefully she crept forward, keeping near trees for cover. Her prey wasn't too far ahead now; she could just about taste their blood already. Another few long, silent strides and suddenly a tree was the only thing separating them. Not daring to peak out too far, she crouched lower and moved ever so slightly to see what it was she was up against.

They were slender, their clothes concealing all but their arms and face. What Yang could see of their figure revealed long, toned legs, and wiry arms. A curtain of dark hair fell in waves down their back. Overall they definitely appeared feminine; she couldn't see the face though.

Yang had always found that the best way to go was to strike before her prey knew she was there. She tensed, for just a moment, before leaping out, drawing one stake as she did. This was going to be an easy kill, the target wouldn't know what hit them—

At least, that was what Yang thought before she passed right through them.

She stumbled as she landed, having expected to hit a body and not the ground. Whipping around once she'd gotten her footing, she was momentarily taken aback. No one was there. How could that be?

She hadn't registered the whoosh of air behind her until it kneed her in the back.

Yang fell to her knees with a short cry of mingled pain and surprise. Then her attacker was in front of her, planting a foot on her chest and shoving her down against the earth. What? What had happened? This wasn't going according to plan at all!

She focused on the dull throb in her temple to keep from panicking as a face leaned in toward her own, driving the foot harder yet into her chest. The dark obscured most of their features, but Yang could see their eyes.

Gold...?

"Who are you?" a voice demanded, and Yang realized it must belong to her prey-turned-attacker. She didn't answer at first, earning herself more pain as they twisted their foot to pull at her skin. "Why did you attack me?"

Yang refused to answer as she allowed the pain and anger to build. Black hair and golden eyes, that had been all witnesses could give, and it looked like her attacker had both. Her stake, she realized, was still clutched in her fist; they hadn't seemed to notice it yet. All she had to do was wait just a little longer...

She gave a short cry as they dug their heel in. "Answer me!"

Yang looked up, staring into their eyes. She'd never been very good at seeing people's emotions in their eyes, but she couldn't help noticing how bloodshot they were. Absently she wondered if any of those she had killed had eyes like that too; she'd never bothered looking so closely. Pushing the thought aside, she leaned up as far as she could so their glares were barely inches apart.

She bared her teeth and all but hissed, "Did you kill Summer Rose?"

This must have taken her attacker aback, as the pressure on her chest was suddenly just a bit lighter. "Wha— I don't—"

With a growl Yang gripped the stake and brought it up, plunging it into her attacker's leg. They screamed as they stepped back almost immediately, and Yang took the opportunity to jump up, get ahold of their throat, and shove them to the ground. She raised the stake again as she straddled their waist, poised now above their eyes, keeping her hand tight on their throat.

She repeated her question, yelling now, "Did you kill Summer Rose?!"

"I don't," they coughed out, hands on Yang's arm as if trying to push it away. "I don't...know...what...you're...talking about!" Yang could feel their legs kicking feebly behind her, and suddenly felt her rage grow.

"Liar!" she heard herself scream, bringing the stake down. It sank deep into the soft earth, and it took Yang a moment to realize that they were no longer underneath her.

Apparently, they were behind her. They kicked Yang hard in the back, then planted what felt like a knee right between her shoulder blades to force her down onto her stomach. When they spoke again, Yang felt cool breath by her ear.

"I don't know who Summer Rose is, but I haven't killed anyone." A hand wound itself in Yang's hair, gripping right by her scalp and tugging sharply. "Is that why you attacked me?"

Yang tried to hunch her shoulders, to keep her neck covered, but the other pushed their knee harder into her back. A growl escaped Yang's throat; the ache in her temple was growing too strong to ignore. Her attacker, however, was entirely unaware of the danger they were in.

"Answer me!" they said, pulling roughly on their fistful of Yang's hair. Yang bucked her hips, attempting to dislodge them but to little avail. She reached up with her right hand, groaning against the pressure on her back, and dug her fingers as hard as she could into the soft flesh of their thigh. She was almost surprised by how quickly this drew a hiss from her attacker; apparently their clothes weren't very thick. Regardless, their hold loosened, and she took the chance to push herself from the ground and onto her back, shoving the other off in the process. They struggled to regain their bearing for a moment, and that was all Yang needed to lunge at them. She grabbed their throat again, this time holding them pinned against a tree with her stake level to their heart.

If you could call whatever pumped in their chest a heart.

Leaning in, Yang growled, "That's not why I tried to kill you." She dragged the tip of her stake under their jaw, just hard enough to cause pain without drawing blood. "I'm going to kill you," Yang continued slowly, moving closer still so her lips nearly brushed their ear.

"Because I'm a vampire hunter."


	2. What Does That Make You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yang is faced with a dilemma. Or two.

The forest was dark and quiet, thick foliage preventing most of the light from the near-full moon from hitting the ground. Every so often, however, a breeze would come by, strong enough to move just the right branches for the moonlight to meet the earth.

It was one of these sudden beams of moonlight that distracted Yang.

Somehow, being exposed to the moon made her headache pound worse than before, and she dropped her stake as her hand came to clutch at her head. The vampire she held against a tree took this opportunity to wrench free of Yang's grip, using that strange disappearing power from before. Before Yang could react, the vampire had shoved her face into the bark, twisting her arm behind her back.

"A vampire hunter?" they hissed, oddly sounding not so much frightened as...offended? "You mean to tell me you hunt us like...like animals?"

Yang kicked back, bringing her foot down hard on their toes. "Not animals," she managed to grunt out, ripping her arm free of their grasp and turning to face them. "Monsters."

The vampire actually looked taken aback by this. Yang took advantage of their momentary pause to pin them to the ground once more, pulling her other stake out of its sheath on her leg. "What? You disagree?"

They spat at her, and she could just see the glint of fangs in what little light reached them. "We're not monsters! How could you—?" Their sentence cut off with a choke as Yang pressed her forearm into their neck.

"You drink blood to survive! You kill people without reason! What else would you call your kind?" Yang didn't realize at first that she was shouting, but at this moment she couldn't pretend to care. One of them had never spoken to her in the past, and she couldn't deny the surprise she felt at how...human...this one sounded. But that didn't mean she felt a shred of sympathy for them.

"We're not murderers!" the vampire argued back just as loudly as Yang. "Maybe a few of us are. Okay. They don't speak for the rest of us!" They glared up at her, their golden—or, no, more like amber now that Yang thought about it—eyes meeting Yang's unabashedly. "Should I believe all humans are murderers just because you are?"

Yang felt a twinge in her temple and found herself choking out a mix between a laugh and a grimace. "I hardly speak for humanity."

They paused at this, but noticing Yang's discomfort, took the chance to shove her off and grab her stake. "You shouldn't have come here," they said, voice low and threatening. Yang tensed, turning her body so her right side faced her opponent. She wasn't sure where her other stake had landed, but she had to find it before this fight got too out of hand.

The vampire didn't seem to have this concern, rushing at her without warning and swinging the stake down toward Yang's chest. Without thinking, Yang brought her arm up to intercept the blow.

The sharp tip of the stake tore through the long glove she wore and embedded itself into her arm. A clang rang out around the two, and Yang recognized a look of confusion followed by realization as the vampire figured out what had just happened.

Yang pushed them back, twisting her arm around and forcing them to break their grip on the stake. Delicately, she pulled it from her prosthesis, trying to avoid hitting any wires, before holding it up in front of herself. From the corner of her eye she saw the brief shine of light hitting metal—her other stake. She'd have to go through the vampire to get it, but as long as she had this one she felt pretty secure.

Until another breeze pushed the leaves high above them aside, and another sliver of moonlight hit Yang.

She dropped to one knee, hands clutching at her aching head. At least some part of her had the sense not to let go of the stake this time. The moment passed in a heartbeat, but before Yang's fingers had left her head she felt something run past her. The vampire was running away.

Yang didn't stop to consider how suddenly unwilling to fight they were. Instead she rolled forward to grab her other stake and return it to its sheath before jumping to her feet and tearing off after them. They better knew their way through the trees, though, and given that combined with the darkness Yang was soon going on scent alone. Every so often a twinge in her temple made her stumble, but she didn't fall.

After a minute or two Yang could just see their figure ahead of her and knew she had to be catching up. She pushed herself a little harder, willing her legs to carry her faster, and transferred the stake still in her left hand to her right. She was gaining on them, she could feel it. Another minute and she could see they were beginning to tire, probably not used to running very far. Yang stopped, took two heartbeats to aim, and threw her stake at the vampire. She was running again before she saw them fall, and slid to a stop on her knees next to them.

Her stake stuck out of their back, just below where their ribs ended and to the right of their spine. It wasn't very deep, but it was enough that blood gurgled from the wound when Yang pulled it out. They gave a short cry, but made no effort to move from where they'd fallen. Yang grabbed their arm and turned them onto their back, stake poised above their heart. She had to finish this soon; her headache was becoming more difficult to bear by the minute.

The vampire seemed to have other ideas. As Yang's arm descended, they held their own arms up, blocking it. Frustrated, Yang raised her stake and stabbed down again, but as she made contact they vanished again. An arm snaked its way around Yang's neck as a hand pressed into her back, effectively putting her in a chokehold. She felt their radius press into her throat, and gripped at their sleeve in an attempt to pull them off. Bending her knees, she let her head fall forward, trying to throw them off, but the hand at her back must've kept them steady, for all it did was push her neck harder still into their arm. She jabbed back with her elbow and hit their side, but somehow their grip didn't slacken.

Yang could feel herself starting to give out, and struggled even harder to get out of the vampire's grasp. Maybe Ruby was right—maybe she should've waited another few nights. If they kept this up, she wasn't sure what would happen.

She felt her anger and frustration start to boil over, to overshadow her growing panic, and knew it was too late.

She stopped struggling, arms falling to her sides. The vampire seemed to have sensed this, their hold loosening ever so slightly. Then they broke away altogether as Yang started to grow. The buttons of her jacket popped open and the seams along the sleeves burst as her chest and biceps broadened. Her legs grew longer, changing shape, forcing her boots off as the straps broke. The straps holding her stake sheaths tightened around her thighs, on the verge of snapping, and she felt her pants tear as her spine extended. Even her prosthetic arm, custom built by Ruby, changed with her, decompressing to become longer and wider and locking into its new size. Her eyes burned, and she knew they were glowing a bloody crimson unrecognizable from their usual soft lavender.

The transformation only took seconds, but by the end the vampire looked shocked.

"You're...a werewolf?"

Yang answered them with a growl, before her now clawed hand shot out and her fingers wrapped around their throat, lifting them off the ground. She had become nearly two feet taller, and the vampire struggled feebly in the air as she brought them up to her eye-level. Yang could barely control herself with the moon so close to full, but at least so deep in the forest she wouldn't pose a threat to anyone but the monster in her hand.

"Okay, wait," the vampire choked out, their voice pleading. Yang almost pitied them for thinking they could reason with her in this state. "D-don't kill me just yet. I can help you."

To Yang's own surprise, the wolf listened, growling softly but making no moves to kill them. They took this as a sign to continue. "You want the vampire that killed Summer Rose, right? That's who you're really looking for?"

Actually, as much as Yang did want to find them, she had no qualms killing any other vampires she found. Not that she could say so while transformed.

"I can help you find them, if you let me live."

Like a vampire was alive in the first place, Yang wanted to scoff, but some part of her was tempted by the offer. Much as she enjoyed hunting for the sake of hunting, avenging Summer had always been her main goal, and here was a way to do that. A much easier way than simply strolling into the woods and hoping she'd find who she was looking for based on the scant testimonies of only a few witnesses.

No, wait, she couldn't let herself agree to this. A deal with a vampire wasn't even up for consideration. Vampires were unnatural monsters; they couldn't be trusted. But then, what did that make her?

Either way, in this form, the choice wasn't quite up to her.

The wolf tossed them to the ground with a roar and fell on all fours. Then, shocking both Yang and the vampire, it only waited. Apparently it had accepted their offer.

They held their hands out in front of them, as though afraid Yang would attack at any moment. "Okay, just...I can't do anything right this instant." They paused, appearing to choose their next words carefully. "I would need you to tell me what you know. Otherwise how am I supposed to help?" A valid point, but still Yang felt a growl rumble in her throat. One thing she knew for sure, though, was that she wasn't going to let them just walk away. How could she trust them to keep their end of the deal?

The wolf either sensed this or reached the same conclusion, because in an instant it seized the back of the vampire's shirt carefully in its jaws. They let out a yell, and then fell silent as they realized they were not, in fact, going to be eaten; still, Yang could hear their heavy, uneven breathing and knew they were terrified. Sniffing the air to figure out which way the village was, Yang bounded recklessly through the trees. It occurred to her as she went that she didn't want the wolf to leave the woods, but that was a problem she'd figure out when she got there. But that could be soon; while it took hours of creeping on two legs to get to the place she'd found the vampire, running on four legs could easily make the same trek only a third as long. Yang had no way of knowing how long she was going to stay in this form, and because the moon was so near full she wasn't sure she could will herself back.

The journey was not easy on the vampire, who had swung their legs around Yang's shoulders and clutched at the fur behind her ears just to keep from falling. Not that Yang cared much what happened to them, but their promise of help was a good reason not to let them die just yet. As Yang felt all her earlier rage ebbing, her control over the wolf became stronger. Maybe not so much that she could change back at will, but enough.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she would guess it had been a little under an hour before the trees thinned enough that she could see village lights just beyond. Lanterns flickered on posts every so often along the road, probably intended for travelers arriving during the night or local law enforcement. Yang slowed to a stop and released her hold on the vampire, letting them drop off of her before she stood back on her hind legs. Closing her eyes, she tried to will herself to change back, but the wolf refused. She clenched her fists as she tried harder, fighting back, still to no avail. Letting out a deep sigh, she opened one eye to make sure the vampire was still with her, before closing it to try yet again.

A full minute, and then some, passed before she felt herself start to shift. Seconds later she stood in human form, clothes torn to expose bruised skin. At least the stretchy fabric of her bra hadn't given way. She grabbed the vampire's arm and tugged them to their feet, pulling them along with her as she stepped out of the trees and started toward town. She couldn't help but notice that, in the light, they looked like a human girl—a very pretty human girl, even with the scratches and bruises Yang had given them. But they weren't human, she reminded herself. They weren't even alive.

Yang didn't bother knocking as she pushed in the door to her house. She'd expected Ruby and Taiyang to be asleep, so she was startled when Ruby came running from her room. "Yang, is that— oh." The younger girl paused, looking from Yang to the vampire and back.

For a long minute, no one said anything. Then, Ruby's voice, small and uncertain, broke the quiet. "You're back early."

Yang couldn't help smiling at her sister, despite everything. "Yep. Unexpected change of plan."

She glanced at the vampire, who was now gazing at her with an eyebrow raised and a question in their eyes. "Yang?" they mouthed, and the blonde realized they'd heard Ruby call out to her.

Ruby herself was looking again at the vampire. "And...who is she?"

"Blake," they—or, she, rather—answered before Yang could.

"Oh. Um, I'm Ruby," she said back, hugging her cloak a little tighter around herself.

Blake nodded, and asked, "So are you a werewolf too?"

Ruby snapped her gaze to Yang, suddenly looking almost angry. "You _shifted_?!"

"Only because she almost killed me!" Yang retorted, trying to keep her voice down. If Taiyang was still asleep, she'd rather not be the one to wake him. "She's a vampire!"

And Ruby was, once again, back to quietly looking at Yang and Blake in turn, although Yang could tell she was only quiet because she didn't know which question to ask first.

Blake, remarkably, was the one to break the silence this time. "What am I doing here, exactly?"

Ruby looked mildly relieved that someone else had asked, Yang noted. "Well where else were you supposed to stay?" she answered, hearing the almost haughty tone to her words. "I can't keep an eye on you if you're out in the forest."

Blake bristled, but kept her voice calm. "Oh, right, and I suppose you can't just trust me?"

"Like anyone could trust one of _your_ kind!" Yang shot back venomously. From the corner of her vision she could see Ruby shifting uncomfortably.

"And what's so wrong with _my kind_?" Blake challenged, voice cold. "How many vampires have you even met?"

"Six," Yang answered, her own tone hot and angry. "Five of whom are dead now."

This seemed to give Blake pause, but perhaps not in quite the way Yang had intended. Her voice low and horrified, she asked, "You've killed five vampires?"

"Yeah," Yang confirmed noncommittally, trying to keep her sudden uncertainty out of her voice.

"Did you even know their names?"

Now it was Yang's turn to pause. Why did it matter if she knew their names? They were vampires. Her job was to kill them, not make friends.

Her confusion must've shown, because Blake went on, "Vampires are still _people_ , same as you. You murdered five people."

Ruby was starting to look as horrified as Blake sounded. She turned to Yang, eyes wide. "She's wrong, isn't she? It's not—that wasn't murder, right? They deserved it?"

If any of those comments stung Blake she didn't show it. Now they were both looking at Yang, Ruby scared and questioning and Blake cold and challenging. Both, however, wanted an answer to the same question.

Yang took a deep breath, aware that she was starting to get angry again. Her headache returned, though not quite as painful as before. She had to calm down or she would risk shifting right here in the house. It was several moments before she finally spoke. "Vampires aren't people. Vampires are monsters."

"And what does that make you?" Blake asked, echoing Yang's own earlier question. Yang froze, before turning her gaze to the ground and away from either of them.

"Ruby," she started, hardening her voice. She couldn't show weakness, not in front of her little sister. "Blake's going to help me find the vampire who killed Mom. That's why she's here." She thought she heard a sharp intake of breath as she said this, but she couldn't be sure who from. "She'll be staying in my room. In the morning we'll tell Dad, but for now it's best if you just go to bed."

After several heartbeats, she heard Ruby mutter, "Okay. Good night," and walk softly back to her room. Only once the door had closed did she look up. Blake stood, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, expression unreadable.

"So do I get a leash too?" she asked Yang sardonically. "Maybe a bed of papers on the floor?" Her voice had once again taken on its previous frostiness, and Yang found she was almost grateful for it.

"My room's this way," she told Blake quietly, making her way down the hall without checking if Blake was following. Somehow she already knew she would. Her room was next to Ruby's, and Taiyang's was at the end of the hall. She softly pushed her door open and stepped in, holding it for Blake before closing it behind them. Once inside neither seemed sure of what to say, and the tension that ensued bothered Yang more than the hostility. "No papers," she said uncertainly, trying to look at anything but Blake. "I only have pillows and blankets if you want a bed. Or you can just lie on the floor."

She could feel the intensity of Blake's gaze but still the vampire said nothing. Then she sauntered over to the corner of Yang's room and leaned against the wall as she slid down to the floor.

"Right," Yang said, her voice sounding much too loud to her ears. "Okay. Whatever works."

She felt Blake's eyes on her still as she undressed. Her boots and one stake were still in the forest somewhere; she might just have to go back for them during the day. If she could even find them again. Blake said nothing as she pulled off her jacket and the tattered remains of her gloves, or as she undid the straps on her thighs holding her stake sheaths and stepped out of her pants. It occurred to her that Blake didn't have a change of clothes, but she pushed the concern aside; for all she knew vampires didn't change clothes anyway.

As she pulled on nightclothes and got into bed, she still had the feeling Blake was watching her, but she tried to ignore it. In the morning they'd figure this whole mess out, she tried to reassure herself as she let her eyes close and felt her tiredness overtake her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all I want to thank everyone who commented on the first chapter! I really appreciate your support
> 
> secondly I realize that Yang's behavior might come off as uncharacteristic, but I do kind of know what I'm doing. I think.
> 
> lastly, thanks again for reading! updates won't be on a regular schedule but I'll try not to delay too long between chapters


	3. A New Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang reflects on some things, and a plan is formed.

Taiyang rubbed the stubble on his jaw. The four of them sat around the table in the kitchen, Ruby next to their father and Yang next to Blake. He didn't react with the rage Yang had been half-expecting, so that was probably a good sign. But he'd sat in this tired silence following her explanation for a number of minutes now, and Yang was starting to get nervous. Ruby looked like she had been nervous since she'd woken up. Blake looked apathetic.

Finally, he let out a long sigh, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on them. "Blake," he said tonelessly, addressing her. She inclined her head ever so slightly but said nothing, prompting him to continue. "Can you eat?"

There was a moment of silence as everyone registered the question, but then Blake nodded slowly. "I can still eat most foods, if that's what you're asking."

He nodded back, not quite looking at her. "I'd say get yourself something to eat—all three of you—and then we'll figure out where we're going from here."

Yang found herself suddenly impatient and blurted, "We're already here, aren't we? Why don't we discuss it now?"

A heartbeat passed as everyone looked at her, but then Taiyang answered, "No, we've already discussed the issue of Blake living here. I mean we need to figure out how we're finding the killer." At this he attempted a weak smile, but Yang could see that thinking about Summer still hurt him. "I don't know about you, but I think I'd like to eat something first."

That was fair enough, Yang decided, and she held her tongue. Taiyang stood and walked over to the cupboard, pulling out bread and jam, but Yang found that she wasn't hungry. Or, more accurately, that she couldn't stomach food right now. Excusing herself, she left the table and went outside, into their backyard.

The yard was a respectable size, the grass a touch overgrown and the tree by the edge starting to pass the house itself in height. Taiyang had set up bull's eye targets and practice dummies all around, back before Ruby had even been born. He'd always wanted his children to be able to fight for themselves, Yang supposed, meandering over to the tree. Most of the lower branches were thick enough to hold her weight, some low enough that she could easily step over them. She'd been climbing this tree since she was a kid, always getting to the highest branch that would hold her just to sit and think for a bit. Somehow it was more comfortable out here, with the bark digging into her thighs and spine and leaves constantly catching in her hair, than any room in the house. She'd chosen not to question it over the years, and now only climbed up as she always had to the highest branch that felt safe.

She wasn't sure what she wanted to think about, though. Sometimes she would think about whatever the biggest current issue in her life was, but right now that was Blake, and truth be told she didn't want to think about Blake at the moment. Instead she resorted to replaying memories, something of a hobby of hers that had begun after Summer was killed. Think of the good things that had happened to her, so maybe the bad things wouldn't seem so bad. While maybe not as comforting and she'd been led to believe, it was, at the very least, something to pass the time.

When she was about fifteen, and Ruby thirteen, Taiyang and Summer took the two of them on a trip to the mainland. There had been some sort of festival in the capitol of Vale, and their parents had been saving money to go for the past year and a half. Yang had been stunned by all the nonhumans she saw; in their island village, she only knew of herself, Ruby, and their father, but there in the heart of Vale were multitudes of them, unashamed of what they were. And the humans accepted them! They had no problem whatsoever walking with nonhumans! Yang had felt as though she were living in a dream then, one she was careful not to wake herself up from. There was a red-headed elven girl she remembered in particular—

"Yang?" a voice drifted up, pulling her from her reverie. "Taiyang's asking if you're okay." Yang felt her mood sour a little once she recognized the voice as Blake's.

"And why send you instead of asking himself?" Yang called back, peering down at the vampire but otherwise refusing to move.

Blake, to her credit, stood her ground, sounding almost bored as she answered, "I'm the scary vampire, remember? I can't be trusted alone with such a pure and innocent soul as Ruby."

Yang refrained from asking why he didn't just send Ruby, predicting she'd only get a similar response. "It's not that unreasonable. Don't you drink people's blood to survive?"

She'd meant the remark to be sarcastic, but found she really was interested in Blake's answer. All she really did know about vampires was what she'd read in all the books she could find in Patch, and to be quite honest those sources were probably as misinformed as those documenting werewolves. Even after two years of hunting them, Blake had made a good point the previous night—she really didn't know anything about those she killed. Suddenly another thought occurred to her.

"Wait, how are you out in the sun right now? Isn't the sun supposed to kill you?"

Blake rolled her eyes, but Yang thought she saw the ghost of a smirk on her lips. "First, yes, I do need blood, but not a lot. And, you know, rabbits exist. So do squirrels. Mice. Birds. Various woodland animals."

Yang felt a little stupid at that. She probably should've guessed any vampires on Patch didn't feed on people, seeing as she had to travel so far into the wood to find even one. How, after two years, had she not figured that out?

"Second," Blake went on, apparently ignoring Yang's internal conflict, "sunlight won't kill me unless I'm out in it for too long. It just burns me worse than it would a human." She crossed her arms, hip jutting out to the side. "Any more questions, Dogbreath?"

The nickname seemed a sufficient reason for Yang to get riled up again. "Dogbreath?" she growled, eyes narrowing. In truth she was almost thankful for it; she could feel that already she was starting, ever so slightly, to warm up to Blake, and she found that incredibly disconcerting. She'd take any reason offered to hate her.

Blake, for her part, only shrugged. "Yeah. Dogbreath. I was kind of in your mouth last night so I think I would have an idea of what your breath smells like."

Yang felt heat rise to her face; that sentence could easily be misconstrued to mean something else entirely and the blonde would rather her thoughts not go down that road. She turned her face away, heaving a sigh as she stood on the branch as an excuse not to look at Blake. "Whatever. Didn't you say Dad asked for me?"

She'd started her descent before Blake answered, "No, he asked if you were okay. You could stay out here if you want." Her voice was nonchalant, but somehow Yang sensed an odd sort of waver in it. The hunter chose not to dwell on it. What did she care for a vampire's feelings?

More than she wanted to admit, a small part of her mind told her.

She ignored it.

She didn't look at Blake once she'd reached the ground, instead heading straight for the house. The brunette, she knew, would follow—what other choice did she have, really? Run away? She'd only end up with two full-blood werewolves after her. And, although Yang hesitated to admit it, she had the feeling Blake really did intend to make good on their deal.

Taiyang, she saw as she walked in, had fried the bread while jam was spread over it. It was something he often made as breakfast for the three of them. He and Ruby were standing at the table eating, while a plate held more pieces that Yang guessed were for herself. Well, and Blake, as she probably hadn't eaten yet either.

Yang took one as she leaned against the counter, biting into it half-heartedly. Her appetite still hadn't returned to her. Blake, she noted, hesitantly took one for herself. For a long minute the four of them stood in uncomfortable silence, eating quietly, until Taiyang cleared his throat.

"So...first of all, we should tell Blake what we know about the killer." He looked as if he were ready to say more but Yang cut him off.

"Black hair, gold eyes," she said, a touch venomously. "That was all witnesses could say."

Blake just about scoffed, unfazed by Yang's aggression. With a roll of her eyes she answered, "About a third of all vampires have gold eyes; that's not going to get you very far." No one knew what to say to that, and after another moment she added, "Most vampires' eyes are either gold, red, or green, whether they're born or turned. Shouldn't a vampire hunter know that?"

Her mocking tone only served to further anger Yang, but she couldn't deny that she hadn't known about the eyes. Six vampires she'd come across and only once had she really looked at any of their eyes. It was Ruby, however, who spoke before she could.

"Vampires can be born?"

The brunette seemed to soften as she addressed Ruby, if barely. "Yeah, if their parents weren't turned." She'd lost the mocking tone, at least. "There aren't a lot of pureblood vampires left, but in the past they were the only ones. Then when they started dying off, they figured out they could turn humans. It was the only way they saw to preserve themselves."

Yang wondered absently if talking about her own kind was the only way to get Blake to talk so much. Ruby looked thoughtful at Blake's explanation, and then asked, "So, wait, were you born or turned?"

"Turned," Blake answered, pulling down a little scarf she wore around her neck to show the scars of two puncture wounds. "Two years ago."

Even Taiyang seemed fascinated. "Wait, you said turned vampires can't have children?"

"They can," Blake clarified, "but those children won't be vampires." Taiyang nodded, satisfied with the answer. Ruby, again, seemed to be thinking very hard about what Blake was saying.

Even Yang found she was interested. She couldn't remember any book on vampires that mentioned purebloods, or the eye color thing. All they said were that vampires were undead, and Blake's words implied that it was quite the opposite. Before she knew it, she was asking, "So how do people get turned?"

If her curiosity was any surprise, Blake didn't show it. "By a pureblood giving them their own blood."

Ruby actually raised her hand. "Not by biting them?"

Blake hummed a no and shook her head. "Does everything you bite turn into a werewolf?"

A valid point, even if it was Ruby she was addressing. The younger girl lowered her hand.

Yang shook her head. They'd all gone a bit too far down this rabbit trail, she thought. Or maybe she just didn't want to admit that she cared. Either way. "Look, that's great, but didn't we have a task at hand to focus on?" She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling just a bit huffy.

"I'd still need more to go on than black hair and gold eyes," Blake pointed out. Somehow her calm logic served to further rile Yang.

It was Taiyang, this time, who answered her. "I don't know if it means anything, but..." He trailed off, hesitant to say her name, but then started again. "But Summer was found in a burning building."

The vampire nodded slowly. "I've heard some purebloods have magic. It could've been someone with a fire affinity."

"You heard?" Yang repeated, letting anger drip into her tone. "You don't even know if it's true?"

Blake turned to her, expression almost annoyed. Certainly beat apathetic, in Yang's opinion. "Not all vampires live on Patch, Yang. Most of those who do were turned."

Yang paused, just a moment, at the sound of her name in Blake's voice. She chose not to dwell on the feeling it gave her and brushed it off with a roll of her eyes. "Well why don't we go talk to them instead? Then we might actually get somewhere."

For a heartbeat, everyone was silent. Blake had raised an eyebrow, and Ruby and Taiyang had turned wide gazes to her. Then Blake coolly responded, "You'd have to bring me along if you want to find them. How do you know I won't run?"

She didn't know. She couldn't, of course; none of them could. But just like earlier, she felt absolutely sure Blake wouldn't run. Something inside her whispered that that was called trust, but she ignored it. Instead, she only said, "If you were planning to run, you wouldn't have mentioned it."

Blake seemed to tip her head back, just slightly, but said nothing. Taiyang let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his unruly curls. "So then, who's going with you?"

"Me," Yang said immediately. She was about to add that she was the only one who really needed to go with Blake, when Ruby piped up unexpectedly.

"Me too! I'm going!" She'd even gotten to her feet, buzzing with sudden energy and a grin splitting her face.

"Ruby," Yang started gently, "you really don't need to—"

"I want to go!" her younger sister cut her off. "You don't have to worry about me getting hurt or anything; just ask Dad, I can take care of myself!" Her eyes seemed to glow with excitement, and Yang's voice caught in her throat. How could she say no to that face? But then, she couldn't say yes either.

"Sure you can," Blake decided for her. The vampire took no notice of the incredulous expression Yang turned upon her. "It'll be the three of us, then. And if I don't bring you back by nightfall, your dad can hunt me down."

Ruby just about squealed and ran to her room with a shout of, "I'll get my scythe!" Now Blake met Yang's eyes, and the werewolf could've sworn her look was taunting. Before she could address it, though, Ruby was back, her scythe in her arms.

Blake turned her attention to the odd boxy device. "Is...is that your scythe?" Yang chuckled, but said nothing when Blake shot a look at her. She found she enjoyed feeling like she knew something Blake didn't.

Ruby, for her part, only nodded enthusiastically. "Dad says I can't open it in the house but I'll show you once we get in the woods!"

"Rubes, the trees are packed too close," Yang reminded the girl, stifling a laugh. Laughing right at this moment would be a little mean. "You won't be able to swing it very well."

The redhead's face fell for a moment, but then she shrugged. "But I can still open it! So it works out."

Her logic made no sense to Yang, but she chose not to comment. "Alright, then. When're we leaving?"

"Now would be good," Blake answered her dryly. She chose to ignore the tone.

"'Kay, well, I'll go get my stuff and we'll head out," Yang announced as she headed for her room. Behind her, she heard Taiyang mention that they ought to bring food along, but she didn't say anything. Once in her room, door closed behind her, she looked wistfully at the jacket she'd worn the previous night—and many of the nights before it in the last couple years. A few of the buttons had popped off and the seams on the sleeves had split almost completely. Nothing she couldn't get fixed, but it could take some time. Her gloves, too, were in a sorry state of disrepair, although she wasn't sure there was hope for those. At least the fabric of her pants had been stretchy enough that they didn't tear.

She had other clothes, of course, and as she sifted through her closet for an outfit she reflected on everything that had happened the previous night. While it wasn't as though she had never shifted before, she had never done it in front of someone outside her family. She had never seen the look of terror Blake had worn on anyone's face before, shifting or not, directed at her. Not even the vampires she'd killed had ever seemed afraid of her, not to that extent. It was a little disconcerting to think that she could warrant that kind of fear even from a nonhuman. Or maybe it was very disconcerting. Her train of thought halted suddenly as her hand brushed something scaly in the very back of her closet.

A more detached part of her mind noted that she really hadn't been paying attention to the clothes, to have gotten back so far. But the rest of her mind felt a sort of numbed sadness as she pulled out the jacket hanging there. Her uncle had given it to her, saying it was made out of dragonskin. She'd always believed him, although she really had no way to know if he was lying anyway. It was a little big on her at the time, but she bet it fit perfectly now. The sadness, however, slowly melted into something like anger when she remembered who the jacket had belonged to before Qrow gave it to her.

She pushed the thought away before it could go any further, shoving clothes back in front of the jacket and taking her hide one instead. It was a little more restrictive than the leather, but the fabric was tougher and the sleeves longer. That and the leather jacket was just as in need of repair as it had been minutes prior.

Once dressed in her denim pants, her remaining stake strapped to her right thigh and the jacket buttoned over her torso, she pulled out a spare pair of boots and went back out to face the others. Ruby, she saw as she sat to pull the boots on and tie them up, had also gotten dressed, in the red-trimmed "combat skirt" she was so fond of and the hooded cloak that Yang thought a touch too big for her. But the younger girl looked excited to go out, and Yang didn't want to diminish that for her, so she chose not to comment.

Done tying the laces, Yang stood at the same time Taiyang handed her a small pack. "Food," he clarified, his smile looking almost sad. "Who knows how long you guys'll be out?"

"Thanks, Dad!" Ruby piped up, throwing her arms around her father in a hug. "We'll be home safe, I promise!"

"You better be," he said, tone falsely stern. "You've still got chores, you know."

Ruby gasped, clutching her chest as though wounded, and promptly broke out laughing. Yang smiled, and glanced at Blake to see she was actually smiling too. A smile she dropped the moment she caught Yang's eyes on her, but it had been there.

She pulled the pack's strap up over her shoulder and moved toward the door, hearing Ruby and Blake follow behind. "Like Blake said," she reassured her father, turning back to him one last time, "we should be back by nightfall." With a grin, she added, "So don't worry until then."

"Yeah," Taiyang scoffed, rolling his eyes as he fought back a smirk of his own. "Sure. I wasn't gonna worry in the first place."

Yang's smile widened as she gave him a wave, watching Ruby do the same from the edge of her vision. Then, taking a breath, she turned and headed out the door with the other two on her heels. She couldn't begin to guess what to expect, but with any luck, this trip would finally yield answers to some of her questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay okay firstly I want to apologize for taking so long to update. I originally intended to make this chapter a lot longer but I don't know how long that would've taken.
> 
> so this chapter's more expository than anything but I felt like that was important for development. I swear I know what I'm doing.
> 
> as of yet there's still no set schedule for updates so I'm sorry for that but I do have a better idea of where I want this to go plotwise
> 
> anyway take care and leave feedback if you're so inclined!

**Author's Note:**

> hi hello thanks for reading
> 
> feedback is always appreciated but if that's not your thing then okay


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